El Calafate

Day Trips

Depart from your hotel in El Calafate at around 10:30 AM and set off for the Perito Moreno Glacier located inside the Los Glaciares National Park. Travel for 80 kilometers (50 miles) until you arrive at the west end of the Magallanes Peninsula. Then, enjoy plenty of time to explore this natural ice formation due to your early start.  Begin your tour of the national park by strolling along a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) network of boardwalks. Admire the glacier from multiple perspectives as you climb up to different levels and balconies. Spend 2 hours exploring the runways and use this time to eat a packed lunch or make a stop in one of the restaurants.  Next, take an optional 1-hour boat ride in front of the northern wall of the glacier. After the tour, return to El Calafate via the same route, arriving at approximately 6:30/7:00 PM.

Discover the beauty of the Perito Moreno glacier on a guided walking tour on this day trip from El Calafate. Cross the Rico channel on a boat and ride thorugh the unique ecosystem of a Magellanic subpolar forest in comfortable van or bus. Start your trip with pick-up from certain hotels in El Calafate and take the 1.5-hour transfer to Bajo de las Sombras Port. Board a boat to cross the Rico channel. Join a group of up to 20 people and take a 20-minute walk to the glacier.  When you arrive, get kitted out with crampons and begin the ascent. Hike for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes enjoying the ice formations and discovering the flora, fauna, and glaciology of the region. Learn about the phenomenon of glacier rupture.  Then, return to the refuge through the Magellanic forest. From there, cross the Rich Arm of Lago Argentino and sail in front of the glacier. After this, spend approximately 1 hour exploring a network of walkways which offer a new perspective of the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Immerse yourself in Argentina’s dramatic landscapes and take in panoramic views of mountains, glaciers, and lakes. See the nature that played a major role in Darwin’s and Fitz Roy’s research and discover Argentina’s youngest village, El Chaltén, founded in 1985. Start your full-day tour with a pickup from your hotel in El Calafate. Take the legendary Route 40, which runs alongside Lake Argentino with its blueish-white glaciers.   Cross the Santa Cruz River and hear about Charles Darwin’s and Robert Fitz Roy’s expeditions. Continue to La Leona River, and stop at La Leona Roadhouse, where you can learn the history of Route 40 over a coffee and homemade cake. Walk along the edge of Lake Viedma and see the breathtaking peaks of the Andes mountain range, including Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. After your 3-hour journey, arrive at El Chatén, located in the Southern Andes in a valley where the rivers De las Vueltas and Fitz Roy meet. Admire the young village’s surroundings within the Los Glaciares National Park. Then, decide to either to hike along self-guided trails or remain in the town and enjoy some free time. If you choose to hike a trail, the tour guide will provide you with a map, a lunchbox and advise you on the different trail options to best suit your fitness level. Throughout the year, you can enjoy two short trails to Chorrillo del Salto and Mirador de los Cóndores. From October to April, you can also choose a trail that will take you to Capri Lagoon. If you prefer to stay in El Chaltén, you can enjoy a relaxing period of free time and explore the town. At 5 PM, start your journey back to El Calafate, arriving around 7:30-8 PM. Enjoy a convenient drop-off at your hotel after a full day of discovering Argentina’s nature.

Get to know the Perito Moreno glacier, a staggeringly beautiful ice field and glacier that is the crown jewel of Patagonia. Spend a full day exploring with your own private group and guide. Start your trip with pickup from your hotel in El Calafate between 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM, depending on your preference. Once on the road, travel the 80 kilometers that separate the town from the glacier. Upon arrival at the parking lot, if you select the add-on for this tour, your group will have a 1-hour boat ride in front of the northern wall of the glacier, the best way to see, hear, and photograph the glacier.  Then, spend up to five hours walking around and exploring the glacier and the trails around it with your guide. Among the earth’s most dynamic and accessible ice fields, this glacier is the stunning centerpiece of the southern sector of Los Glaciares National Park. Constantly advancing, the glacier is considered one of the most impressive natural spectacles in the world.

Start your day with pick up from your hotel and head out on Route 11, bordering Lake Argentino. Travel 80 kilometers from El Calafate to the Moreno Glacier. On the drive out of El Calafate, you can see beautiful Lake Argentino with its Redonda Bay and try to spot its wide variety of birds. Within the first 40 kilometers, you’ll travel through the Patagonian Steppe, then enter the national park. You will arrive at the “Curva de los Suspiros” or “Sigh Curve”, the first panoramic viewpoint of the Perito Moreno Glacier. Enjoy a short stop to take pictures before moving on to Bajo las Sombras Port. You will have the option of taking an additional one-hour boat trip through the southern arm of the Iceberg Channel in order to see different views of the Perito Moreno Glacier Wall. Back at the Port, a system of balconies and footbridges allow you to enjoy walks along different paths and to take in amazing views of the glacier. After some free time for walking and lunch, make your way back to El Calafate.  

Start the tour with a pickup from your hotel in El Calafate around 7:00 AM to undertake the 47km route to the Punta Bandera Port where your boat departs at 9:00 AM. The first part of the trip takes place in the north arm of the Argentino Lake before crossing into the Boca del Diablo, the narrowest part of the lake. Then, go to the Upsala and Spegazzini channels where you can view the respective glaciers. The Upsala Glacier is the largest on the Argentino Lake and can be seen from about 20km away. The Spegazzini Glacier is the highest and you can also see the Dry, Heim Sur, and Peineta glaciers. After entering the Spegazzini Channel, a 300-meter path will be crossed without difficulty through the forest along the coast of the lake making stops at viewpoints overlooking the entire Bay of Glaciers. Arrive at the Spegazzini Refuge where you can enjoy an optional 3-course lunch with drinks, visit the shop, and contemplate the landscape from the terrace.  For those who enjoy walking, the mountain path offers a 700m trek of medium difficulty through a wooded path with natural viewpoints of the Spegazzini Glacier ending at the landing point. Return to the boat and head back to El Calafate where you’ll be dropped off back at your hotel.

Sail in luxury around Southern Patagonia's Los Glaciares National Park during this full-day sightseeing cruise. Board at La Soledad Port, before visiting the stunning Escuadra Bay and the Condor Nesting Wall. Watch these beautiful birds in action. Marvel at the majestic natural wonders of the Seco, Heim and Spegazzini Glaciers from the catamaran's four outer decks. Disembark at "Puesto Las Vacas" station for a short walk. Then, visit Upsala Canal, and enjoy panoramic views of the spectacular Upsala and Bertracchi Glaciers. Indulge in a gourmet lunch onboard. Admire the cruiser's glacier-themed decorations, which bring nature indoors. Let your kids play in the recreation area, which features illustrations of the National Park’s native fauna. Navigate along Canal de los Témpanos towards the Northern face of the Perito Moreno Glacier, and disembark at La Soledad Port. 

Choose from 2 daily departures and get picked up from your hotel in El Calafate. Hop into a 4WD vehicle and set off on a 35 km adventure into the hills behind the village. Drive along a trail which takes you through marvelous landscapes with varied vegetation reaching up to 1050 m above sea level.  Make your first stop at a viewpoint where you can admire impressive panoramas of El Calafate and the central body of Lake Argentino. In the background, observe the unforgettable and imposing Andes Mountains, and at times, views of the glaciers, towards Boca del Diablo. Occasionally it is possible to see the Fitz Roy and Torre hills in El Chaltén. With some luck, you might even be able to spot a condor, the master of the Patagonian skies. After this, follow the trail to the Labyrinth of Stones which is only accessible through the Calafate Mountain Park. This Cretaceous formation dates back to 85 million years and was once the bed of a river. Learn about how numerous fossil remains have been found here which enable paleontologists to observe millions of years of history.  Next, stop for a snack at the Huyliche confectionery before beginning the descent down the northern slope of the hill. Arrive at the Stone of the Hats, curious iron concretions that are only found in 4 places in the world. Finally, return to El Calafate with taking in the incredible views of the omnipresent Lake Argentino en route.

Located on the northwest coast of Lago Argentino (Argentino Lake), the historic sheep ranch of Estancia Cristina was founded in 1914 by Joseph P. Masters and his wife, and on this full-day tour from El Calafate you will explore the estancia to discover how it maintains the history of the family. First, you will sail among the icebergs and mountains of Lago Argentino to Upsala Glacier, the 2nd largest within Los Glaciares National Park. Departing from Punta Bandera by modern and comfortable boat, enjoy the most stunning up-close views of the blue ice. Upon arrival at the Estancia you will learn how the sheer perseverance of the Masters family made the inhospitable place a small paradise that they could call home. Visit the Estancia’s museum, and the old shed where the sheep were sheered. Next, take a short walk to see the estancia’s chapel and country house. From here, you will embark on a 2.5-hour hike to the surprising waterfall of Cascada de los Perros, surrounded by native ñires shrubs. Enjoy panoramic views of the Caterina River valley, and Patagonian wilderness, back across to Estancia Cristina.

Spend 2 full days exploring the nature and scenic views of Patagonia with a professional guide. Day 1: On your first day, you will be driven from your hotel in El Calafate and towards Glaciers National Park. Enjoy the landscapeon the way. Glaciers National Park, hosts the second largest icefield in the world after Antarctica. At the hop-off point, your guide will explain how to tour the 2 mile-long boardwalks that showcase the front wall of Perito Moreno Glacier. These are low difficulty paths connected by stairways. You can read the informative signs in key viewpoints, and if you're lucky, you may even see a gigantic piece of ice breaking and falling into the lake. Join your guide again at the stated time to take your hour-long boat trip across the whole frontal face of this 260 foot-high ice wall. There is a little bar inside the boat where you can buy hot beverages to fight the cold Patagonian wind. Return to your hotel in El Calafate in the early evening. Day 2: On your second day, you will be picked up at your hotel again and head to the remote Patagonia which, although often mistaken as desolate, is full of unique wildlife. You will explore 32 miles of a natural reserve in a small group using a 4wd off-road vehicle. Make different stops to discover guanaco herds and the trail of the Patagonian grey fox.   On the tour, you will try to spot and identify native species. Discover the delicate steppe ecosystem, where 80,000 years of Earth’s history can be traced by different fossils and the remains of different mammals which walked the Earth over 15 million years ago. Learn about the pioneers’ history and taste exquisite Patagonian lamb at an authentic house tucked deep within the Patagonian countryside before heading back into town.